1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to video display storage devices and more particularly to a video display storage device which incorporates a two-way mirror to conceal the presence of a video display when the video display is not in use.
2. Discussion
With the advent of surround sound systems, advanced video game systems, and Internet television equipment, manufacturers of video display storage devices have developed entertainment centers to allow consumers to cluster this equipment together in a central location where it may be used by several persons in a large viewing space. In keeping with this trend, many of the entertainment centers presently manufactured are large and impressive units, tailored specifically to the storage and use of the entertainment equipment.
To prevent the video display from becoming the focal point of the room decor when it is not in use, many of the prior art entertainment centers utilize retracting or sliding doors to conceal the video display. This strategy, however, has several drawbacks including increased costs for hardware and construction and decreased convenience to the user of the entertainment center due to the need to open and close the doors prior to and after using the video display. Furthermore, the use of large doors to cover the video display has a tendency to simply shift the focal point of the decor of a room from the video display to the entertainment center doors.
The above noted problems are more apparent when the size of the room is relatively small and not used for the sole purpose of entertainment. Such entertainment centers are typically not integrated satisfactorily into multi-purpose rooms such as dens, home offices and bedrooms where additional flexibility is required. Examples of such flexibility include the ability to alter the height of the equipment to enable the occupants of the room to view and operate the equipment from the desired viewing location and the ability to use the entertainment center for additional storage of non-entertainment related materials.
Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for an improved entertainment storage device which stores a video display device in a concealing manner when not in use and which permits the video display device to be used without opening the door of the storage device. There also remains a need for an entertainment storage device which is compatible with the decor of a large range of rooms, regardless of the size of the room.